The primary objective of basic tent camping is to live in the outdoors- as comfortably as possible - with just the equipment you can carry in your car or on your motorcycle.

When planning a trip, you must decide what equipment to take. To make good decisions, you should learn as much as possible about your destination - including the expected weather. Begin by reading the campground's official web page. Then search the web for reviews, photos, and videos. And then, reserve the best available campsite. If you decide you don't like it after arrival, you can usually change if other sites are available.

After collecting as much information as possible about your destination, you can make better decisions about equipment to pack to insure a safe and enjoyable trip. When planning a trip, consider the following 16 equipment areas. If it is a backpacking trip, you can only pack a few essential items from each area. But if it is a car camping trip to a developed state or federal campground, you can pack more items that will increase your comfort. For more information about each equipment area, please read my book, Basic Tent Camping.

Clothing

Essentials: extra nylon underwear, extra pair of wool socks, polyester or wool short-sleeve T-shirt, polyester or wool long-sleeve T-shirt, polyester or fleece athletic pants, polyester or fleece hoodie, knit cap, hat or cap & rain coat.Underwear: ExOfficio and Duluth Trading Buck Naked nylon boxers are great for camping and other outdoor activities. I wear them under a pair of polyester shorts as my swim suit.Rain Gear: Mil-Tec PonchoDesirables: When packing space permits, pack as many as 7 pair of socks and underwear to minimize time needed for washing clothes.Convertible pants such as REI Sahara are very versatile.Undesirables: Cotton garments such as denim jeans, cotton sweat shirts, sweat pants, socks & underwear.Pack clothing in small duffel bags that can be used as pillows in camp.

Primary Shelter

Essentials: a good tent that provides protection from rain, wind, mosquitoes, bugs, and dirt.Most couples and small families should consider 6 or 4-person tents. This size provides a good balance between comfort, packability & campsite fit.Six-person tents provide ample space and are usually high enough to stand in.While smaller tents may provide more storm and wind protection, they are hard to enter, even harder to exit, and offer minimal room to move around.Larger 8 to 12-person tents may offer more comfort, but they frequently are difficult to set up and squeeze onto many developed campsites and tent pads.Although some campers prefer sleeping in hammocks, they should not depend upon finding two or three good trees in every campsite, and thus, should not depend upon hammocks as their primary overnight shelter. Here is a summary of most 6 and 4-person tents available in 2017.

Tents priced under $200 will usually fail before 20 nights or 5 years. They have thin fiberglass poles that are difficult to set up and easy to break - especially in cool weather - and thin materials that easily tear.Good quality tents priced over $300 should last over 20 years with proper care. They have strong but lightweight aluminum poles and tough materials.

Secondary Shelter

Essentials: NoneDesirable: In addition to a tent, many experienced campers erect a second shelter to protect them from sun, wind, and rain during the day. Under this shelter, they may sit in chairs, prepare meals, eat meals, play games, read books, or relax.Many campers use screen rooms or EZ Up folding canopies but we prefer three economically priced 8 x 10 poly tarps with reflective silver on one side and dark color on opposite side.One tarp is used for the top and the other two are pulled out to make the sides.Face silver side up in hot weather to reflect sun's radiant energy and down to hold in heat in cool weather.Support fly with three 8-foot poles and one 6-foot pole.Pack in a large duffel bag.

Tools

Essentials: Tent stakes, pocket knife (or multitool) & cord.Victorinox Tinker is a good pocket knife.Desirables: Camp axe, large camp knife, folding saw, wedge, baton, channel lock pliers, rake & small shovel.I prefer reconditioned vintage camp axes but if you want to buy a good axe under $50, consider Husqvarna Curved Handle hatchet. The discontinued Council Tool Camp Axe also makes a good camp axe but you must purchase the sheath seperately.Folding saw: Bacho Laplander folding saw or Silky Pocket Boy folding sawCamp knife: Mora Companion knife is economically priced and great for wood cutting. Many prefer the carbon steel blade.You can make a baton and wedge from small pieces of hickory firewood. Use baton to drive in tent stakes and split firewood. Use wedge to split firewood.Splitting platform: Pack a tree round or make a platform from 3/4-inch plywood. Use it to split firewood when tree stump and tree round are unavailable.Pack in a Cordura tool Bag. I use a Husky 17-inch Tool Tote.

Furniture

Essentials: NoneDesirables: folding chairs, folding table & hammocks.Armless quad chairs fold into a small space. Alps Mountaineering Adventure Chair makes an extra strong chair.Four-foot folding tables are easier to pack than larger tables. You can make one or buy one. Lifetime makes a good one.Food prep counter top: Make or buy a 36-inch counter-height table. See my Modern Tent Camping YouTube videos for details.

Electrical

Essential: A small headlight or flashlight for each person plus a spare and extra batteries are all you need in summer months when the sunsets around 9 or 10 p.m.Desirable: In early spring and late fall, acquire a variety of battery and/or electric powered lights for campsite and tent because sun sets around 4 or 5 p.m.Acquire 3 or 4 grounded outdoor extension cords plus multiple outlets.Compact lighting: Etekcity Folding LED lanternRope Lights: Izzy Creations Rope LightsIn cool weather, pack a heated mattress cover or electrical space heater and make sure to reserve a campsite with electrical connections.In hot weather pack a fan and wear a cotton shirt soaked with water. The breeze blowing over the wet shirt will produce an air conditioning effect.Undesirable: Candle lanterns, gas lanterns, and other open flame light sources because they are messy to pack and create a fire hazzard if brought into the tent.Pack in a milk crate.

Stove & Fuel

Basic tent campers staying in developed campgrounds usually have their vehicles in or near their campsites and either restaurants or grocery stores located just a few miles away. Thus, basic tent campers can eat a wide variety of foods that do not require cooking - or can buy charcoal and grill many more foods in their campsite fire ring.Essentials: Two or 3 butane lighters.Desirables: a small stove and fuel that require little packing space.If you plan to cook with wood, make a fire starter kit at home containing small twigs for kindling, used printer paper for tender, and your butane lighters.

Several small wood burning stoves are available for backpackers but these stoves are too small and too fragile to hold heavy cast iron cookware and cook large portions needed for family meals. So, I developed a large portable wood burinng stove - which I call Woody The Campfire Stove or just Woody. It allows you to cook a complete family meal over a campfire in any campground - regardless of the type of fire ring available. It features: 1) heavy duty 11 GA carbon steel back and sides that are strong enough to hold large cast iron dutch ovens and frying pans filled with food; 2) a large 13 by 13-inch cooking surface that can accommodate a 12-inch frying pan, a 10-quart stew pot, or 3 smaller pots; 3) a stainless steel cooking grate that locks into place and can be used to grill steaks, hamburgers & pork chops; 4) two piano hinges that allow you to fold the sides flat for travel; 5) high quality welding and fabrication; 6) good fuel efficiency that allows you to cook a meal or boil a pot of dried beans for an hour with one large piece of firewood.

Woody weighs 10 pounds and can be placed on the ground, inside a fire ring - or combined with a commercial Aluminum baking pan to maximize fuel efficiency. A limited number of Woody Stoves with cooking grates are now available for $125 plus shipping costs. For more details. please watch my YouTube video and contact me. My contact information can be found by clicking the "Contact Information" link below.

When planning a trip to a particular park, visit the park's webpage and read their firewood policy. Some parks have burn bans in effect and prohibit all camp and cooking fires.

When campfires are permitted, most state and federal parks prohibit cutting standing trees and burning firewood that was cut over 50 miles away from the park. Furthermore, many also prohibit removing dead wood on the ground because deadfall provides food and habitat for small animals and insects low on the food chain. Consequently, most campers must buy firewood bundles from local dealers or the park concession. Local firewood dealers usually give the most wood for the money but be sure the wood has been seasoned before buying it. Grocery stores and convince stores also give a reasonable amount of wood for the money and it is usually heat treated U.S.D.A. or state certified pest free firewood that has a federal or state shield on the package. Park venders vary considerably in terms of the amount of wood they give for the money. Some give a reasonable amount of seasoned wood for the money (4 pounds for $1) but a significant number sell unseasoned wood or very small bundles for high prices.

Firewood sold in bundles typically are about 6-inches in diameter - too large for starting fires or cooking meals. Consequently, campers should split these larger pieces down to kindling and small pieces of stove wood about 1/2 to 3/4 inches in diameter with a camp axe and wedge.

Campers should always pack a backup cooking stove with fuel in case the park has a burn ban in effect.

Water

Essential: Personal water bottle.Desirables: one or more 1-gallon water jugs. Gator-aid jugs and bottles are economical choices. Most developed campgrounds have potable water near their campsites but some spigots are several yards away. You will need containers to get it from the spigot to your campsite. Avoid large 3 to 5-gallon containers because they are difficult to carry from the water spigot to your campsite, difficult to move about your campsite, and difficult to pour.Unnecessary: water filtration and purification equipment.

Non-Perishable Foods

Essentials: NoneBasic tent campers staying in developed campgrounds can buy a wide variety of restaurant and grocery store take out foods.Desirables: Cereal bars, nuts, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables & other snacksCouples should pack an assortment of small cans of vegetables and fruit.Store beans, pasta, rice, grits, flour, and other dry goods in plastic mayonnaise or peanut butter jars.

Perishable Foods

Essentials: NoneDesirable: Store eggs, butter, cheese, meat, liquids, and other foods in small waterproof plastic containers.Pack in a small to medium (50 quart) cooler without wheels or a handle.

Packing

Pack tent, secondary shelter, furniture, and bedding in duffel bagsPack kitchen items, nonperishable foods, and electrical items in milk crates.If you have a small car or a few children, invest in a rooftop or trailer hitch mounted luggage rack. We use a rooftop rack and pack several items in duffel bags.Rooftop racks: Yakima Mega Warrior